Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz: Highlights, Pitfalls to Avoid for WWE SmackDown Feud

Dean Ambrose and The Miz's battle over the Intercontinental Championship has them battling to be WWE SmackDown's best story going.

The success of their rivalry thus far is a testament to simplicity and leaning on the basics. A grating, cheating heel has been colliding with a never-say-die babyface. A championship remains the heart of their war, even after adding welcome touches of personal issues.

Those are all elements plucked from the tried-and-true pro wrestling playbook.

It helps, too, that The Miz and Ambrose have been on their games of late. The Miz is coming off a career year and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. Ambrose remains one of WWE's best workhorses and an unlikely but successful leading man.

But how long can WWE keep things flourishing as they are? Will the company resort to rapid-fire title changes or rely too much on the girlfriends in this tale?

Read on for a look at The Miz-Ambrose rivalry—from what's working to what could upend it.

Emotion, Importance of the Intercontinental Championship

If only all title losses affected wrestlers the way dropping the IC title gutted The Miz.

On the Jan. 3 edition of Talking Smack, The Miz griped about the defeat. He boiled over with anger and looked to be on the verge of tears. Roaring and raving, he exploded on the set.

And whether he's been chasing or clinging tight to the IC title, it has long meant this much to The Miz.

That has helped elevate a once-stagnant championship. It's now a coveted prize again, which has bolstered The Miz's feuds with Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler and now Ambrose.

LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club wrote, "Because of the importance The Miz has brought to the midcard and the Intercontinental Championship, Dean Ambrose winning the belt doesn't feel like he's being 'downgraded' into a midcard."

The gold has to remain central to this story. The Miz's desperate hunger to regain the title and the fight Ambrose puts up to keep it in his hands will help keep this feud charging forward.

Ideal Foils

Ambrose and The Miz are thriving in their version of the classic good vs. evil wrestling tale.

The Miz has mastered his role as a self-absorbed scoundrel with a persecution complex. His arrogance and disdain pop off the screen.

The Lunatic Fringe has been an excellent foil for him. He's a blue-collar Superstar to The Miz's Hollywood persona. He's a wild man with a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants plan of attack, while The Miz is calculated and sly. 

And as Will Pruett of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Ambrose's angry boyfriend persona fits him better than most other things he's tried."

WWE needs to find more ways to showcase these juxtaposing characters. The Miz giving Ambrose a participation award after losing to AJ Styles was brilliant. The Lunatic Fringe disguising himself as a security guard to ambush his enemy was excellent, too.

More moments like these and more exploration of these two rivals will maintain the narrative's momentum.

Rate of Title Changes

Ambrose's second Intercontinental Championship victory was a cause for celebration.

The wronged babyface had stood up to the bully and seized what he most treasured. It was a dramatic moment—one that will help propel The Lunatic Fringe moving forward.

That won't be the case if we see a repeat of that moment in a few weeks.

WWE has too often played hot potato with the IC title. Per WWE.com, the championship changed hands five times in both 2015 and 2016. Ziggler held the belt for only 37 days last fall; Zack Ryder was champion for only two.

Rather than give us one of those forgettable reigns in 2017, WWE would be better off keeping Ambrose as champion well past WrestleMania.

The temptation will be to crown The Miz again and generate buzz via a new champion. That approach hurts the prestige of the title, though, making it seem like an insignificant accessory that gets passed around.

When folks talk of the title's glory days, they often refer to champs like Mr. Perfect, Randy Savage and Scott Hall, who all had lengthy runs with the belt. WWE must allow Ambrose a chance to put his name on that list by being patient with his reign.

Venturing into Soap-Opera Territory

As of now, The Miz vs. Ambrose has just the right amount of drama drawn from each wrestler's partner.

Maryse has been a slapping machine as she has looked to help keep The Miz champ. Announcer Renee Young found herself unwittingly pulled into this feud after The Hollywood A-Lister began to harass her about her relationship with Ambrose.

It's easy to go from this ideal balance to hackneyed writing in a hurry, though.

WWE has not handled this kind of story well in recent history. Lana's involvement in the Rusev vs. Ziggler rivalry was painful to watch. The company is overusing Nikki Bella's relationship with John Cena during her feud with Natalya.

If the company can avoid corny dialogue, love triangles and bedroom voyeurism, Ambrose vs. The Miz will be much better off.

This needs to remain a story about bad blood and a pursuit of glory. Including too much trite romance angles will ruin it.

Projections

We're going to see a lot of Young in the near future.

Her presence elevated the level of animosity in this feud. She's been one of Ambrose's prime motivations to chop The Miz to the ground.

And rather than build on that with a new angle, WWE is likely to return to the Young drama well often. The company is poised to overdo that element, hurting the rivalry in the process.

It's not a feud that will last long, though.

The Royal Rumble will be WWE's means to have both men head in new directions. With 30 men involved in the annual Battle Royal, fresh foes won't be hard to come by.

Once The Miz fails to seize his title back a few times, he will redirect his energy. WWE Championship contention is in his future. He's been killing it as IC champ and has been one of SmackDown's most compelling figures.

That will net him a move onto a higher tier on the blue brand.